English Muffin Toasting Bread

This bread is great. Really, it’s wonderful. Katie gave me this recipe after telling me how much her whole family likes it, and it definitely lived up to my expectations. It’s not dense at all, which is a nice change. There are just so many good things to say about it. It’s easy, it uses simple ingredients, you don’t have to knead it, it only has to rise once, the loaves are easy to slice, it tastes great, it is wonderful toasted, it has nooks and crannies, and it’s really hard to mess up. What could be better? Mike claims its his favorite bread that I’ve made (3.5 rating), and I think I’m going to make more this weekend. We ate it last weekend with the soup in the previous post, and since then I’ve eaten it as toast…a lot…with almost every single meal.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast, sugar, salt and baking soda. Add warm milk and water; beat on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat on high for 3 minutes. Stir in remaining flour (batter will be stiff). Do not knead. Grease two 8-1/2 in. x 4-1/2 in. x 2-1/2 in. loaf pans. Sprinkle pans with cornmeal. Spoon batter into the pans and sprinkle cornmeal on top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans immediately to cool on wire racks.

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28 comments

It’s funny how toast is really one of the most overlooked, but universal comfort foods. This bread looks so yummy, maybe I’ll have to try it out instead of my usual Barefoot Contessa recipe that I always use. Thanks!

This is a great recipe!! I’ll be baking this on a regular basis. Megan, you’ve done it again! JRV

I have managed to get this recipe wrong 4 out of the 6 times I have made the bread and it has still turned out wonderfully every time. Fear not and press forward as you can do little to mess up the final delicious outcome of this recipe.

I made this with the beef tortellini soup a couple of times. Dad really likes it, and Grandma was here once when I made it. She even took some home with her. I sliced the loaves and froze the pieces in little baggies with 2 slices to a bag. Then we can just pull out a bag to have for breakfast or with lunch or supper.

I've seen this recipe making the rounds but you finally just convinced me to make it.

Mrs. Mordecai – I definitely recommend this bread. It's one of our favorites! I hope you like it as much as we do 🙂

Easy and delicious – I used to make this for my husband's family every time there was a special dinner or brunch or vacation or any other excuse to ask me for it. I attribute at least 10 of my extra pounds to it.

I just made it. Great stuff! Turned out maybe a bit under baked, but thermometer was at 200* in loaf center. I also used 1C white whole wheat flour and some wheat germ. Next I'll try half whole wheat.

I've made English muffins from scratch before. A lot of work! This loaf looks like a much nicer way to go.

a person – Glad you liked it! I never measured the internal temperature of my bread, I just bake it until its golden on top, which seems to work out well. I've heard, though, that you have to bake wet doughs a little longer than usual. Let me know how the half whole wheat turns out!

So I've totally goofed. I added all of the flour at one time and then mixed it for three minutes. Can I save it? Here's trying and hoping…

Mary K – My guess is that it will be fine. Just pour it into the pans and hope for the best 🙂 The friend who gave me the recipe has done it wrong multiple times, and each time it still turns out well. Good luck! And let me know how it turns out 🙂

Wow, you've got some great recipes on your site!

Is it possible to make this bread without beaters? I am willing to mix/knead if "need" be!

Thanks!

Anonymous – You can definitely make the bread without beaters. My mom made it and mixed it by hand. It's a little harder to do, but just use a wooden spoon to mix it up really well. The dough is too wet to knead it, so just thoroughly stir it and it should be fine. Good luck! Let me know how it turns out 🙂

This is a great blog. We have tried a few of your recipes with success. However, this didn't turn out as you have it. My bread was a little dense and not as holey as yours. What could cause this? Did I over mix? Also the crust tasted more like a beer bread. It wasn't bad, just not as excpected. Thanks for the yummy ideas!

Sally – I'm so sorry it didn't turn out the way you hoped! I'm no expert, but I'm thinking a few things could cause this. It sounds like your bread didn't rise as much as it should have. Are you sure your yeast was active? Did you measure the temperature of the water and milk? I use my meat thermometer to measure the temperature (probably not the most accurate, but it works), to make sure the liquids aren't too hot or too cold. Also, did you use the "scoop and level" method to measure flour? If you added too much flour, that could make the bread dense as well. As you can see, there are a number of things that could have caused it. Feel free to email me at whatmegansmaking[at]gmail[dot]com if you have further questions. I hope you try it again with better results! 🙂

I tried to make english muffins awhile ago. I was so excited to be able to do it at home…until I cut the first one open, then the second. I was quite disappointed. There were NO 'nooks or cranies.' I have been searching for a recipe I trust (for muffins). However, since I am short on time and really want to make them tonight, I think this recipe will be perfect! 🙂 I'll let you know how it turns out and Thanks!